Hooked Up – Ten One Design iPhone Accessories

Welcome to Hooked Up, the Gaming Nexus series that puts the spotlight on gaming related products that impact the Video Game experience. This week we take a look at Ten One Design’s SoundClip and pogo stylus for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

What is it?
The two accessories we looked at from Ten One Design are the pogo stylus and the SoundClip. The stylus is just what you think, a stylus designed to work with the iPhone and Touch for those that are having trouble breaking from your PDA or Smartphone. It is a 3.5” long cylinder that is .25” wide and has a soft tip to allow for tapping or tracing on the iPhone/Touch screen.

The SoundClip is a small plastic piece that plugs into the slot where the iPhone/Touch connects via USB. Its design allows the audio to be funneled to a small scoop opening on the left side that focuses and increases the volume for easier listening.

Impressions: Pogo Stylus
I started to with the pogo stylus, as I had a very specific game in mind I wanted to try it on.

The stylus does come packaged with a travel clip that holds the stylus in place and attached to your iPhone or Touch. Unfortunately, the travel clip does not work well with hard cases (it kinda works) or any type of leather case. It will work with the device naked or with one of the silicon sleeves attached.

One thing I notice during gameplay is that my finger ether will start to slide off target due to grease or sweat while playing for long periods of time. While using the pogo stylus, neither of these becomes a concern. However, you do lose that “touch” sensitivity that many games are designed to embrace.

One improvement to the pogo stylus I would like to see would be to move away from the tip made of plastic bristles and go with a rounded piece of dense felt or fabric. I believe this would provide greater stability, control and life expectancy.

Impressions: SoundClip
When I first plugged in the SoundClip, I wasn’t sure if it was doing anything at all. However, as I increased the volume to halfway plus, it was very clear that the audio was being “amplified” and redirected to the scoop. After doing multiple tests using games, music and video, there was a distinct improvement in the audio volume with the SoundClip attached.

As mentioned above, the SoundClip will have to come out when plugging in your device, but unlike the pogo stylus travel clip, it will work with the majority of cases and skins. They already have a hole in that area to accommodate the cable, so plugging in the clip and attaching the case or skin shouldn’t be a problem.

Pros

Cons

Affordable

Tip could be more firm

Improves Sound/Accuracy

Easily lost

Small Design

Loss of "Touch"

Gaming Impact
Both the SoundClip and Pogo Stylus have an indirect impact on gaming by enhancing the experience. The stylus in particular can help navigate some of the more tricky control options (such as dragging) that seem to change from App to App. As for the SoundClip, that is a no brainer if you are without headphones. It is small and lightweight yet relatively tough. The only negative is that it will need to come off whenever the iPhone/Touch is tethered via the USB for charging or syncing and with certain cases.

The Skinny
Ten One Design has come up with a couple of accessories that should be well received by consumers. The pogo stylus especially will come in to play for those that have long nails, fat fingers or just like the control of a stylus. The SoundClip helps elevate the sound level, especially when you are caught without headphones. While neither of these accessories are needed to enjoy your iPhone or iPod Touch, they both do offer improvements to normal daily use of your device and are relatively small in both price and stature.

Where to Find/BuyBoth the Pogo Stylus and SoundClip can be purchased directly from the Ten One Design website. In addition, it can also be found at several online shopping outlets.

If you have a gaming related product or accessory that you would like to see featured in Hooked Up, please contact the Author regarding inclusion.

* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company for review.

About Author

I spent the greater part of my informative years glued to the front of a Commodore 64 after we wore out our Intellivision. If you were in the Toledo area surfing C-64 bulletin boards in the mid 80's, we probably have already met. When not running the BBS, I spent countless hours wandering around the streets of Skara Brae, as my life was immersed in The Bard's Tale series on the C-64. After taking the early 90's off from gaming (college years) minus the occasional Bill Walsh College Football on Sega, I was re-introduced to PC games in the mid 1990's with a couple of little games called DOOM II and Diablo. I went all-in with the current generation of consoles, getting an Xbox 360 on launch weekend as well as adding a PS3 and Wii in subsequent years.

While my byline is on many reviews, articles and countless news stories, I have a passion for and spent the last several years at GamingNexus focusing on audio & video and accessories as they relate to gaming. Having over 15 years of Home Theater consulting and sales under my belt, it is quite enjoyable to spend some of my time viewing gaming through the A/V perspective. While I haven't yet made it to one of the major gaming conventions (PAX or E3), I have represented GamingNexus at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas for the last six years.

I have been a staff member at GamingNexus since 2006 and feel lucky to have the opportunity to put to use my B.A. in Journalism from The Ohio State University.